The Internet directory said today it had signed on the Sabre Group's Travelocity booking engine for air
travel, car rentals, and hotel accommodations. Sabre is partly owned by the
parent of American Airlines.

Yahoo previously had used Travelogix
as the booking engine for its service, but that deal
expired, according to Susan Briggs, senior producer at Yahoo. (See related story)

The revamped travel area includes information about more than 400 travel
destinations, as well as current weather conditions,
currency exchange rates, and airfare announcements. Yahoo also has teamed
up with Lonely Planet and Travelon to beef up its content.

Competition is stiff in the online travel market, not only from airlines,
but also from Microsoft's Expedia and Preview Travel, among others. But the
business is potentially lucrative. Expedia is among Microsoft's most
successful new-media ventures, while Preview is trying to capitalize on the
growth by filing for an initial public offering.

Last week, Microsoft upgraded its Expedia travel site by adding online
mapping and vacation packages. It also said the site would adopt the name
Microsoft Expedia.com, attempting to make it easier for customers to find
the site.

Yahoo's edge could lie in the huge number of visitors it attracts to its
free Web site, as well as its brand identity on the Net.